Shannon Sharpe reckons 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan refused to trade for Tom Brady to prevent TB12 from dominating the locker room
Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe believes that San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan refused to trade for Tom Brady to maintain control of the Niners locker room.
The 49ers were a possible destination for the quarterback when he announced he was leaving New England, nonetheless, the move never materialized.
Dana White broke the news that Brady & Gronk were on their way to the Raiders until Jon Gruden blew the deal up
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Sharpe spoke on FOX Sports' Undisputed:
"It takes the coach swallowing his ego, take playing second fiddle, taking a back seat in order to have [Tom Brady's] dynamic on your roster. We saw John Fox do that. We saw a Bruce Arians do that to a certain extent. And I still believe, along with a lot of other people, he got bumped up, because that's what Tom Brady wanted."
Sharpe added:
"If you look at the situation where you always say, why wouldn't Kyle Shanahan? Why would that be Shanahan's take on that now? Very few coaches, Skip, especially once you get to a Jon Gruden level - he's won a championship and we know how power-centric he is - is willing to take that on."
The 49ers were Brady's hometown team and many thought that he was heading to the Bay area. However, the move never eventuated and with Sharpe's comments, we could possibly get a little understanding of why.
Brady back with the Buccaneers for this season
The 45-year-old is back with the Buccaneers, for now. When he announced his retirement at the end of last year, many thought it wasn't the last we'd see of him anyway.
Some thought that he might angle for a move to the 49ers. However, then the Miami Dolphins situation revealed itself and it seemed likely that the seven-time Super Bowl champ in fact wanted out of Tampa Bay.
While the veteran quarterback is back with the Buccaneers for this upcoming season, there is a strong feeling that he will be playing elsewhere next season. Just where that will be is anyone's guess, but as Shannon Sharpe stated, whoever gets the former MVP will likely have to give up some locker room dominance.